Cuckoo Summer

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You guys were so fab and Dawn was such a lovely presence in the schools - I will absolutely be in touch next time I'm in your neck of the woods. Your comment about teachers who love to “do voices” made me laugh, I have always loved to “do voices” but a north-east accent is one I’d struggle with! It kept me interested from the first page to the last, and even gave a little emotional kick at the end.

Descriptions of country life and of the Fells demonstrate tenderness, and the Cumbrian countryside is almost another secondary character, but these descriptions aren’t laboured. Scarcross isn’t the only bully amongst their neighbours, and Sally is as much the hunted as the man she’s so determined to protect. Some are lucky, others, like Sally, less so; she ends up with farmer Scarcross, an ill-tempered, abusive carer. They would also only drop off a case of books and leave us to run it – it was so lovely to have you on hand to chat to the children and recommend them books, as well as the small (but appreciated! I grew fond of some of the characters and think that Silent Simon who works on the Scarcross farm deserves a story of his own.The place is almost a character in its own right, with an immersive understanding of farming at that time.

There was just the right amount of choice to suit everyone without being overwhelming and I received comments from parents and staff about the quality of books offered compared to previous sales which have always been based around current crazes and well known celebrity authors. But there is plenty for teachers and adults to explore with readers, including underlying themes of prejudice and poverty.Andersen Press) Although Tommy’s holding in his worries about his missing father, his aunts are aware of his feelings. Polly Crosby tells ReadingZone about her novel, This Tale is Forbidden (Scholastic), a fractured fairy tale set in a dystopian world. The characters in Cuckoo Summer are living, breathing beings and each of them has a distinctive role in the story, which is told from the perspective of Tommy, a loyal and compassionate friend who instinctively knows that all's not right in Sally's world, when she refuses to tell him anything about her former home life. Tommy and his evacuee friend Sally find an injured German airman close to their home in the Lake District.